New York, NY, January 25, 2006 … The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) called on the international community to refuse to deal with representatives of the terrorist organization Hamas who were elected in the Palestinian legislative elections and to reconsider its contacts with the Palestinian Authority should Hamas be welcomed into the cabinet.  Hamas is designated a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union.
 
Barbara B. Balser, ADL National Chair, and Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director issued the following statement:
 
The international community cannot legitimize the terrorist organization Hamas, despite the election of its representatives to the Palestinian legislature.  Hamas remains committed to its fundamental goal to eradicate, through violent means, the State of Israel.  It does not recognize Israel's right to exist, continues to advocate and engage in terrorism, and propagates virulent anti-Semitism.
 
The international community has been frustrated by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' refusal or inability to demonstrate and practice responsible and effective governance and to clamp down on the terrorist infrastructure operating openly under his watch.   President Abbas has not yet announced if he intends to bring Hamas representatives into his cabinet.  It must be made clear to him and to the Palestinian public, that so long as Hamas remains engaged in terrorism and rejects Israel's right to exist, its inclusion in the Palestinian Authority government will not be recognized or accepted and will have severe repercussions for all contacts with the PA.

The Anti-Defamation League, founded in 1913, is the world's leading organization fighting anti-Semitism through programs and services that counteract hatred, prejudice and bigotry.